Something More
by Nirselen
Summary: *~*VERSION 2*~*Lily and Frodo have been friends since childhood. But now, Lily's starting to think that they're becoming more than just friends. Lily/Frodo romance (duh!)
1. At Bilbo's Birthday Party

*~*DISCLAIMER*~* Ok. I'm ONLY gonna say this ONCE: I do NOT own ANY of the characters in this story EXCEPT for Lily. All the other characters belong to the wonderful, fabulous, JRR Tolkein. All right. I've said it. Don't make me do it again. Besides, who would REALLY believe that I actually created all the LOTR characters anyway? Whatever. Here goes. Please read and review! Now, welcome to the re-vamped version of "Something More!" I hope you like it!  
  
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A hundred sights and sounds filled her eyes and ears. Although night had fallen, she could still see perfectly because of all the lanterns strung between poles, hanging on tree branches, anywhere they could be hung. All around her, at least a hundred people were talking, laughing, dancing, drinking or just walking. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying himself. Suddenly, a loud explosion startled her. She whirled around to see one of Gandalf's fireworks shoot up into the star-sprinkled sky. It soared higher and higher, until they could no longer distinguish it from the many stars. Everyone stopped what he was doing to stare up at the sky in expectation. Then, sizzling and hissing, millions of tiny stars came tumbling down from the sky. The hobbits cheered and many screamed as the little specks of flame fell nearer and nearer to their heads. Then, just inches above the tallest hobbit head, the stars vanished with a loud pop. After a moment of startled silence, everyone began to cheer and clap. Little hobbit children jumped up and down in excitement. Lily laughed out loud as she clapped her pretty, white hands together. After a few moments, she sighed happily and, noticing her friends beckoning to her, walked over to join them. Her big, blue, gray-flecked eyes sparkled with fun and excitement. She was rather tall and slender for a hobbit, and her pale, pointed face suggested a bit of elven heritage, although all her ancestors were hobbits. A few cinnamon freckles dotted the bridge of her cute, button nose. In honor of the occasion, she wore the new outfit she had bought from the tailor just yesterday. A band of tiny flowers, embroidered in black thread, ran along the edge of her navy blue skirt. She wore a matching vest, laced up with black ribbon, over a crisp, white peasant blouse. The navy ribbon tied around her head barely held back the copper red, corkscrew curls that framed her face and bounced on her shoulders as she walked. As she reached the weathered wooden table where her friends were sitting, Pippin called out, "Hey, Lil, hurry up! Esme and I been waving at you for the past half hour. My hand's so tired, it's about to fall off!" Grinning proudly as the rest of them giggled, he scooted over so Lily could have a seat. "Thanks, Pip," she said as she sat down, "Where's Sam?" From across the table came a muffled giggle, then Esme said, "He's probably trying to find Rosie in the crowd. Maybe he'll actually get up the nerve to ask her to dance this time!" Esmerelda Goldworth, Esme for short, had been Lily's best friend for as long as they could remember. With her dark brown hair, so dark it was almost black, and her amber brown eyes, she made a striking picture. She was shorter and plumper than Lily, but also more outgoing. Esme knew no strangers; she got along with everyone. "Maybe you should go help him out, Esme, since you seem so concerned," Frodo remarked, trying to keep back the laughter. "Well, I. I mean. seriously, the poor hobbit!" Esme retorted. At this, everyone burst into laughter, Esme included. When everyone had finally calmed down, she stood up and said, "Well, I'm going to go and have another dance." "With who? I think Sam's already taken!" Merry yelled after her, as she walked away. "All right, Merry," Pippin said, "Now come on, let's go and see Gandalf about those fireworks of his." Both Merry and Pippin stood up and walked off together. "I wonder what those two are up to," Frodo said, "I hope they aren't planning anything." "Oh, you know them. When are they not scheming about something?" Lily remarked. "Just as long as nothing disastrous happens," he replied, leaning his elbows on the table. Then he smiled, "Bilbo's birthday party sure is a success." "Oh, it's wonderful! And I think everyone really enjoys Gandalf's fireworks, especially Merry and Pippin." Frodo smiled and turned to face her. "You know, that new outfit looks wonderful on you." Surprised, Lily felt a rosy blush creep over her cheeks, which seemed to happen a lot around him now. "Thanks," she mumbled, looking down, "Ummmmmmm. I think your new outfit looks great too." To her surprise, he burst out laughing. Looking up, she started at him, "It's really not that funny you know." "I know, I know," he said, through his laughter, "It's just that. I really don't know why am laughing." He looked so funny as he said this, that she began to laugh with him. When their laughter subsided, he suggested, "You know, Lil, I think Esme had a good idea. Let's go have another dance." Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to her feet, and then ran off to where all the other dancers and musicians were gathered, dragging her behind him. As she hurried to keep up with him, Lily's thoughts whirled. She and Frodo had been friends since they were only tiny hobbit children, for as long as she could remember. She and Frodo were just as close as she and Esme. But, lately, her feelings for him had been changing, and he'd been acting as though his had changed as well. I'm probably just imagining it, she thought. Before she could wonder anymore, Frodo grabbed her other hand and swung her into the dance. As the music swirled around them, Frodo leaned toward her and whispered, "Look, over there." Then he looked over toward their left. Following his gaze, Lily saw Sam and Rosie dancing and laughing together. "I guess he got his nerve up after all," Frodo said. "Did it take you a lot of nerve to ask me to dance?" she asked him, coyly. Laughing, he replied, "Of course it did! We gentleman are always nervous about these sort of things." "You? A gentleman?" Pretending to be serious, he shook his finger at her sternly, "Now, young lady, do you think that was a very kind thing to say?" The dance had now ended and they were sitting on a bench to rest. Grabbing his hand, she pushed it into his lap, "Oh you. You can be so annoying sometimes, do you know that?" "Why thank you, my lady. That was a fabulous compliment," he said, touching his hand to his heart. She realized that his other hand was still holding on to hers. She stared stupidly at it, until she realized that he was staring at her. Blushing, she looked up into those big blue eyes of his and realized that they were laughing at her. Just then, a huge bang jolted her out of her reverie. "What was that?" she asked, "It sounded like one of Gandalf's fireworks, but none of his are that loud. Oh my!" They both looked up to see a huge firework rocketing upward. Then, it unfolded into a dragon. Now, instead of shooting up higher, it was coming down. Almost everyone screamed and began running in the opposite direction. Frodo jumped to his feet, "Bilbo!" Without another word, he ran off to where Bilbo was sitting, telling a story to some hobbit children. Before she could run after him, Lily was swept up in the crowd of running hobbits. As she ran, dodging tables, she tried to find Frodo and Bilbo, but the crowd was too thick. Then she heard a noise behind her, the dragon was closing in. With a yelp of fear, she and all the others ducked as the flaming dragon swooped over them, then shot up into the sky. There, it exploded into several more fireworks, which soon melted away, leaving a clear sky and a hundred amazed hobbits below it. There was silence for a moment, before they all started to clap. Joining in, Lily looked around for Frodo and Bilbo. She spotted them at the edge of the crowd. As she made her way over to them, the crowd began to shout, "Speech, Bilbo. Speech!" Bilbo good-naturedly stood up and walked to a platform as all the others sat down. "Well that turned out all right," she remarked as she and Frodo sat down at a table near the back. "Yes, but I wonder if that was the way Gandalf had planned to use his most spectacular firework," he said, "Something tells me that Merry and Pippin were involved in this." She was about to reply when Bilbo began his speech. He greeted them all, clan by clan. When he got to the Smallburrows, she gave a cheer with all the rest of them. She and Frodo both laughed uproariously when Old Mr. Proudfoot yelled, "ProudFEET!" in response to Bilbo's greeting the Proudfoots. Then, a change came over Bilbo. Fingering something in his pocket, he said shakily, "I regret to announce that I shall not be seeing you again. This is the end. Goodbye." To everyone's surprise, he vanished. Frodo jumped up, "Where did he go? Bilbo?" He looked around frantically, trying to wade through the crowd of bewildered hobbits. "I've got to find Gandalf. I'm sure he knows something about this." Lily looked at him. He seemed really upset. "Don't worry, Frodo," she said, "I'm sure he's fine. It's probably just another prank of Merry and Pippin's." He didn't look convinced. "I'll stay out here and look for him. Why don't you go check in Bag End?" Nodding, he turned to leave and said, "If you find him, tell him I'm inside waiting for him." Now that he was gone, she had time to think about the evening's events. For the past few days, her feelings for Frodo had become more then just friendly. She just wasn't sure how he felt. With a tiny sigh, she turned and joined the throng of hobbits calling Bilbo's name as they tried to find him amidst all the confusion. 


	2. Changes in the Air

To Jordan: Yes, in fact, I have read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the Hobbit and the Silmarillion three times. I have also seen the movie four times. Some of this story will be from the movie, some of it will be from the book, and some of it will be out of my own head!  
  
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"Lil! There you are!" Lily turned around to see Merry and Pippin, their hair and faces blackened, running towards her. "Whew! I've had enough dirty dishes to last me a lifetime, how bout you Pip?" Merry said, poking him in the arm. "Dirty dishes? Is that why you two have black all over your faces?" Lily asked, confused. "By the way, have you seen Bilbo anywhere?" "Nope. Haven't seen him. Where's Frodo?" Merry said. "Hey did you like our firework?" Pippin asked. "So Frodo was right after all," Lily answered, "And I guess that's why you two are all black. What did you do? Steal one of Gandalf's fireworks or something?" "How did you guess?" they demanded together. "Trouble is you two's middle name," she replied. "BOO!" a voice yelled behind her. Lily jumped and squealed in fright. She whirled around to see Esme standing behind her, shaking with laughter. She turned back around to face Pippin and Merry. "Why didn't you warn me? You saw her sneak up!" "She motioned for us not to," Merry protested. "Besides," added Pippin, "We thought it would be much funnier this way." "Oh you two," Lily grumbled. They all began to laugh, after a few moments, she joined them. When they had all calmed down, she said, "Well, I'm gonna go see if Frodo found Bilbo. He's probably in Bag End laughing at us all right now. Goodnight everyone!" "Goodnight!" they all said. Lily hurried up the path to Bag End, hoping that Frodo and Bilbo would both be there. When she opened the door, she found Frodo sitting at the table, but no Bilbo. He looked. strange. Something was wrong with him, but she couldn't tell what it was. Slowly, she walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he jumped out of his seat, "What are you-Oh, Lil, it's just you. Sorry, I.. I.. never mind." He sat back down again. "What's wrong Frodo?" she said, sitting down next to him, "Have you found Bilbo yet?" "Nothing. Nothing. Nothing's wrong," he said. Smiling, she placed both hands on his shoulders and looked straight into his eyes, "I've known you way too long for you to lie to me. Come on, Frodo. I can tell something's bothering you. Why won't you tell me?" With a small sigh, he looked up to meet her gaze, "I just can't, Lil. Not right now. I promise I'll tell you sometime, though. Alright?" "All right. Now where's Bilbo?" "He's gone. Gandalf told me he went to stay with the Elves in Rivendell." "He DID? Oooooo! I've always wanted to meet the Elves. And especially learn their language. It's so pretty!" "Well, actually," he said, brightening up a bit, "I know quite a bit of it. I'll teach you if you like." "You will?! Oh thank you so much!" she said, grabbing him by the waist and hugging him in her excitement. Frodo sat still, her arms around him. He had been thinking about a lot of things, before Lily had walked in. Especially about how much his feelings for her were changing. She was so dear to him. And now, after what Gandalf had told him. But now, nothing mattered except that she was here, in his arms. He had no idea how she felt about him; he wasn't even sure how he felt about her. All he know was that this was what he wanted. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She didn't protest. Her head was buried in his chest, and he leaned down to rest his chin on top of her curls. Lily was amazed, a little scared, by the wave of emotions rushing through her. She had never meant her hug to go this far. But in Frodo's arms, she felt so. right. She didn't mind a bit when he pulled her closer. She shivered with delight when he rested his head on top of hers. 'What's wrong with me?' she wondered. Then, Frodo placed his finger under her chin, and brought her head up to look deep into her eyes. At his touch, chills ran up and down her spine. She wondered if he was going to kiss her. She knew she wouldn't mind it if he did. "Frodo? Frodo are you in there?" said a voice from behind the front door. Slightly embarrassed, Lily jerked away from him. 'What are you thinking, Lil. It's just Frodo. Your friend.' Frodo stood up and went to the door. It was Sam. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Master Frodo, but I was just wondering where you went. I couldn't find you after Bilbo disappeared, but Pippin told me you were in here so I- Oh, hello Lily," he said, somewhat surprised. Hoping he wasn't wondering what she and Frodo were doing there alone, she said, "Hello Sam. Did you manage to get a dance with Rosie?" A blush crept over his round, honest face as he mumbled, "Well. yes." Frodo and Lily both smiled at his embarrassment. Frodo said, "Bilbo's gone to live with the Elves, Sam. He just left. There's still quite a few people out there, you know. If you hurry, you might get a chance to walk Rosie home." "Oh yeah, well I already asked her. In fact, I'd better hurry, I told her I'd only be a minute," Sam said, as he walked out the door. "Goodnight, Sam," Frodo said, walking to the door with him. Lily followed. After Sam was out of sight, Frodo turned to her and said, "You'd better be getting on home, too. It's late. In fact, I'd better go with you. In light of what's just happened, you won't be safe alone." "What are you talking about?" she asked, "The Shire's perfectly safe, even at night. Does this have something to do with that. that thing you can't tell me about?" Frodo nodded. "Come on. Let's go." Without any further protest, she followed him out the door and into the lane. "Now about your Elvish lessons." "Oh yes! When can we start?" "Well.. why don't you come over for tea tomorrow and we'll begin. I don't really know that much, though. You might want to find a better teacher." "I can't think of anyone I'd rather have teach me than you," she protested, then blushed as she realized the connotation of her words. He didn't seem to mind, though. As they walked down the lane, he found himself wanting to take her hand in his. He wondered if she would mind. 'Stop kidding yourself, Frodo. She's only your friend.' When they reached her door, she turned to face him and said, "Thank you for everything. I had a wonderful time." Smiling, he lifted her hand to his lips, "Anything to please the lady." She laughed. "I am most honored at your attentions, gentlehobbit," she replied, curtsying. Then she realized he was still holding her hand. He must have realized it the same thing; a blush crept over his cheeks and he let go of her hand rather reluctantly. "So... I'll see you tomorrow." he said. Smiling, she nodded, "Tomorrow." As he turned to go, he said, "Namaarie." "I'm assuming that means 'farewell'?" "Och, she's a right smart lass, tha' she is." She laughed again. "Namaarie, Frodo." He waved to her in response. Once he reached the lane, she went inside, her thought whirling with questions and anticipation of tomorrow's lesson. 


	3. An Elvish Lesson

YES!! FINALLY!! After.. 2 weeks (Sorry everybody) I have the next chapter up! In fact, to reward all of you for your patience, I am including a BONUS chapter! It's kinda short though. And, as an ADDED bonus, I'm even gonna let you all help me with part of the plot line! Again, sorry for the LOOONG delay, but between, school, writer's block, and being sick, I just haven't had time to update until now. Ok, enough of my ramblings. Here's Chapter 4: Enjoy!  
  
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When she woke up in the morning, Lily lay still for a few minutes, replaying last night's events in her mind. 'Why do I feel this way around Frodo, my friend? Can it be that I- that I'm in love? Oh.. I wonder how he feels.' she thought. With a small sigh, she sat up and began her morning routine. As Frodo stood in the kitchen, making his breakfast, he thought about last night. About Bilbo's disappearance, everything Gandalf had said to him, and Lily. Especially Lily. About how sweet she had looked while they danced last night. About how concerned and caring she had been after Gandalf had left. About how soft and warm she felt in his arms. About how much she meant to him, and now, with all that was happening, how awful he would feel if he lost her. 'Can it be that I love her? Lily Smallburrow, my childhood friend?' Sighing, he brought his breakfast to the table and sat down to eat. Later, just before teatime, Frodo found himself staring at his reflection in the mirror. He ran a comb through his dark brown curls and straightened his vest. Then he stopped and stood stock still. 'What am I doing? Why does it matter how I look. Lil's only coming to learn Elvish, not just to spend time with me. But maybe, just maybe, it means something more to her than just learning Elvish,' he thought. As she walked out the door, Lily smoothed the skirt of her emerald green dress. She had worn it to a party last week, and Frodo had commented on how well it looked with her copper curls. 'Why does it matter if he likes my dress or not? I'm just being silly. It's only tea and a lesson in Elvish. Or is it?' she asked herself. Everything was ready. The tea was perfect, the biscuits were just right. Just then, the doorbell rang. Frodo jumped up from his chair and almost ran to the door. There she was, looking stunning in green. Her eyes shone with delight. 'Delight at what? Being here? With me?' he mentally shook himself, 'Stop fooling yourself, Frodo.' "What are you staring at?" she said, bringing him back to reality. "Oh. Nothing. You. look. wonderful," he stammered, embarrassed that she had caught him. She didn't seem to mind a bit, though. "Well, aren't you going to let me in?" she asked. Why did she make him suddenly tongue-tied? Why did he find himself staring at her so often? 'Snap out of it,' he told himself, 'This is just a lesson. and tea.' "Right," he said aloud, moving out of the way. Recovering his composure he said, bowing, "Right this way, my lady." She giggled as she walked inside. What was it about her laughter that made him want to laugh for joy as well? Why did he always feel so alive in her company? He followed her inside and shut the door. They both sat down at the table and he poured tea. "Sugar, ma'am?" "Yes, sir. Two lumps, if you please," she said, in a high-pitched, nasal voice. He carefully, placed two perfect lumps in her cup, then stirred them slowly. When they were completely dissolved, he placed the cup in front of her, "There you are, madam. Now, may I offer you a biscuit?" "Why of course. Thank you, kind sir." He placed a biscuit on her saucer, then took one for himself. They each sat in silence, drinking their tea and eating their biscuit with impeccable manners. Then, Lily heard a noise, like the sound of muffled laughter. She looked up and saw that Frodo was laughing into his cup. He looked so hilarious, that she put down her cup with a little giggle, then she laughed out loud. He soon joined her. A minute later, he was serious again. "Now it's time for the lesson," he said. He stood up and took the tea and dishes into the kitchen. With him gone for a moment, Lily had time to think, 'Why is he always so serious around other hobbits, but so silly when he's with me? Not that I mind. He looks so cute when he laughs.' Now Frodo had returned, with a short stack of books, some paper, two quills, and a bottle of ink. He sat down, and spread out the books and paper on the table. "We'll begin with pronunciation. Elvish is a very precise language. The smallest difference in pronunciation can completely change the meaning of the word. You need to be able to pronounce each letter correctly so that.." He spent half an hour going over the pronunciations of all the vowels, consonants and dipthongs with her. Then they moved on to vocabulary. Before they realized it, another hour had passed. The clock struck five. "Oh dear," Lily said, "It's time for me to go home." "Time flies when you're having fun," Frodo said lightly, trying to hide his disappointment. 'Why does it matter that she's leaving now,' he questioned himself, 'You'll see her again tomorrow.' "I guess it's time for me to do the dishes," he said to no one in particular. He walked into the kitchen and picked up a plate. Then he felt a hand on his arm. He stopped. Her touch was electrifying. "Let me help you," she said. He didn't protest. He would do anything to spend more time with her. With her help, the dishes were cleaned, dried, and put away in five minutes. "Thank you," he said, as he followed her to the door. "No. Thank YOU. I had so much fun this afternoon," she said, reaching for the doorknob. At the same time, he placed his hand on the doorknob, to open the door for her. As his hand closed over hers, Lily felt her cheeks grow hot. She was glad he was behind her so he couldn't see her flaming red face. His touch sent chills up and down her spine and made every part of her tingle with excitement. And it scared her. She moved her hand off the knob and he let go of it. She felt a sense of loss as he withdrew his hand. "Yes. Well. um. I'll see you tomorrow, for our next lesson," she said, as she opened the door. "I can't wait," he said, smiling at her. "Me neither," she whispered and walked down to the lane. He stood in the doorway 'till she was out of sight, then went inside to prepare his supper. 


	4. I don't want to, but I must.

It was almost tea time. He couldn't wait. In just a few minutes, Lily would be here for her second Elvish lesson. 'Calm down,' he told himself. 'You won't make her get here any faster by just wishing it.' Oh how he longed to see her again, although it had only been a day since he saw her last. Last night, he had lain awake, wondering why he felt so alive and complete in her presence. And he had finally realized the truth: he loved her. The doorbell rang. His heart beating wildly, he raced to open it. There she was, beautiful as always. But something about her looked different this time. She seemed. sad. Yes, there were tears in her eyes, and she was biting her lip in attempt to hold them back. His heart ached for her. He longed to wipe her tears away. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled her into a gentle embrace. She collapsed against him, throwing both arms around him. They stood there, in silence, holding each other. Finally, she raised her head. "Come on inside," he said, opening the door wider. "No, no. I- I can't. Not right now. I have to go," she protested, tears welling up in her eyes. His heart stopped momentarily. Hoping he had heard her wrong, he asked, teasingly, "Why not, silly? You've come for another lesson, right?" "But that's just it. I can't stay for another lesson. I have to leave Hobbiton. I don't want to, but I must," she said. "Oh, Frodo, just when everything was going wonderfully. And now this." She began to cry softly, trying to hold back the sobs that racked her tiny body. The sight of her tears almost made him cry himself. He shut the door, then reached for her, pulling her into his arms. "Now," he said, "What's wrong? Why is it that you have to leave?" She hoped he would understand. She didn't want to leave. Especially not now, after she had finally realized the truth last night. She loved him. She had no idea when it had happened, but she had fallen in love with Frodo Baggins. `Oh how she longed to stay here with him, but she had to go. She couldn't stay here any longer. Not with-- She took a deep breath, and began her explanation.  
  
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Ah yes! A cliffhanger! Now for the important part: I have two ideas as to why she has to leave Hobbiton. I can't decide, so I'm going to let you, my loyal fans, decide. And if you have an idea that's even better than my two, just tell me! Any way, here are my two ideas:  
  
1) Her mother died, and she has to go live with her grandmother in another town. 2) She was just offered a place at a wonderful teacher's school that she has always wanted to attend.  
  
So. just pick one of these two, or tell me one of your own, fabulous ideas. All you have to do is click the "Review" button and type it in. And when you do it, will you PLEASE type a review too? 


	5. Tears

"Just an hour ago, I was home alone. My mother had gone to the market. I was reviewing my Elvish for our lesson when I heard a knock at the door. I opened it to see Primrose Willow, my neighbor, standing there looking very upset. 'Oh, Lily,' she said to me, 'I don't know how to tell you, but-' 'Why don't you come inside for a minute, Primrose,' I interrupted her to ask. 'No, no,' she protested, 'Well, on the other hand. Yes, I believe I will.' She came inside and sat down at the table across from me. 'Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?' I asked her. 'My dear Lily,' she began, 'it's about your mother. She died in a cart accident just this afternoon, on her way home-" At this point, Lily broke down and began crying again. Frodo sat down in an easy chair and pulled her onto his lap. He held her and rocked her gently until she could continue her story. "Primrose told me that something had scared the pony, and it had bucked. My mother fell out and hit her head on a stone in the street. It only knocked her out, but then the horse trampled her in its fright. There was nothing anybody could do to help her. She was dead by the time they got control of the pony and could check to see if she was alright. And, oh Frodo. Frodo, I miss her so much. What will I ever do without her? What will I do? Oh what will I do?" She continued to repeat the phrase over and over as she cried on Frodo's shoulder. He kept on rocking her, his arms wrapped tightly around her. As her sobs continued, he felt a tear trickle down his cheek. Here she was, the one he loved oh so much, crying as if her heart was broken. And there was nothing he could do to help her or make it better. All he could do was hold her. So that's what he did. As she continued to cry, he softly stroked her hair. When she finally stopped crying, she looked up and smiled at him, "Thank you. I guess I just needed a shoulder to cry on." He smiled back at her, "I will always be here for you." She slipped off his lap and stood up, "I have to go pack now," she said as she walked to the door, "I'm sorry we can't have our lesson today, Frodo." He jumped up, "Pack? But- but why?" "I can't stay here. You know mother and I never had much money, Frodo. I have barely enough to pay off this month's rent. I'll have to move somewhere. Most likely I'll live with my grandmother, since she's my only living relation." Frodo stood in shock. Leaving? She was leaving? "But- but. Why do you have to leave Hobbiton? You can stay.. you can stay here." How she longed to accept his invitation. But she knew she couldn't. "Oh, Frodo. You know that would never work. It wouldn't be right, now that Bilbo's gone." "Yes, you're right. But surely there must be somewhere you can stay here in town. I'll pay for it. I'll rent you a room somewhere. You can stay there until. until-" Slowly, she walked back to him, "Until when, Frodo? I have no way of making a living. I never even finished school. There's no where else for me to go but my grandmother's." "But your grandmother lives all the way out in Whitfurrows. That's two whole days from here." "I know that. It's the only place I can go. I'm sorry, Frodo. I have to," she said, as a tear rolled down her cheek. Immediately, he put his hand on her shoulders and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "Don't cry, Lily. I understand. Lily, I- I.." 'You have to tell her now,' he told himself, 'You won't see her again for a while. You have to tell her you love her.' He took a deep breath. "Lily, I um I.." She gazed into his eyes and wondered if he was about to say what she had longed to her him tell her. 'Does he really love me back? He acts like it. Oh, if he really does love me, then I'll tell him how I feel. He must!' "Yes, Frodo?" Gathering his courage, he thought to himself, 'You can do this, Frodo. She loves you too, you know she does.' "Lily, I just wanted to tell you that I-" His courage failed him, 'Who am I kidding? Why would she love me?' "That I'll miss you," he finished lamely. Her face fell. 'I knew I was imagining it? Why would he love me? He's so wonderful and I'm so. me.' "Oh. that's. sweet. I'll miss you too," she replied and dropped her head. He mentally berated himself for not telling her. 'Now you've missed your chance.' Then and idea came to him. "I'll write to you. Lots of letters." 'Maybe it will be easier to tell her in a letter.' She lifted her head and smiled at him. "That would be wonderful. And I'll write back, lots of lovely, long letters!" He smiled back at her, "And so begins a lengthy correspondence between the lovely lady and her ever faithful gentlehobbit." She laughed and replied, "You always know how to cheer me up." "What are friends for?" She smiled again and said wistfully. "I suppose I'd better go pack now. I promise to write to you as soon as I get to Grandmother's house." "And do you always keep your promises?" "Of course I do, you know that Frodo. Do you keep yours?" "All ways," he assured her and pulled her into a goodbye hug. "Namaarie." She wrapped her arms around him and sighed softly. She never wanted to leave the safety of his arms. There she felt so warm and secure. This was where she belonged. She knew it, and she felt that he knew it as well. 'Perhaps he was just too afraid to tell me.' "Namaarie, Frodo," she said. He slowly let go of her, and she walked out the door. Once she was on the path he shut the door behind her. He couldn't bear to watch her leave, knowing he would not see her again for a long time. She had felt so small in his arms, and he had longed to keep her there and protect her. 'I'll tell her. In the first letter I write, I'll tell her.' With that decided, he sat down to tea. ***********************************************************************  
  
If you would like me to add you into the story, just email me: nirselen@yahoo.com Later on, I am going to add my friend in as an elf, Alasse. Hmmm do I sense a Legolas romance? Maybe. now please REVIEW! 


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